Is Gas Grilling Healthy? We Asked a Nutritionist

Gathering around for grilling is one of the biggest fun things to do in the summer. Cooking over the open fires gives a unique taste to basic seasoned foods, and I don’t need to mention that cooking outdoors with a cool drink is far more enjoyable than sitting in the kitchen! Being gas grilling very popular these days, it’s a common concern – Is gas grilling healthy? We have asked a nutritionist. Let’s see what he says.

A barbecue grill is a tool that adds heat from the below to cook food. There are several grill types, and three of them are the most common categories. These are gas-fueled, charcoal, and electric gas grill. There is a lot of controversies about which one will provide better results. In this article, we will learn a lot of things regarding gas grills. 

Is Gas Grilling Healthy?

The usual thing is that a lot of cooks choose to use charcoal for cooking to enhance the taste of their festivals further, but we should not follow this route more. Charcoal is the undeniable victor amongst flavor buffs. No gas grill will give you the smoky sear. Yet, what about the fact of healthiness? Is gas grilling healthy? The undisputable answer from a renowned nutritionist is, Yes!! Let’s see how.

When you cook over a charcoal grill, you get two molecules that imbue your meat. These are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs). When the meat gets heat, the fat from the meat naturally melts down and drips onto the fire. The fat then in the fire is turned into PAHs and HCAs. The bad news is that both PAHs and HCAs are bad for health and are believed to cause cancer.

HCAs are produced when you cook proteins at high temperatures. In this case, you get a major health advantage in gas grill over the charcoal ones, as it gives you much more ability to control the quantity of flame and heat and thus the temperature to which foods are exposed.

Monitoring and regulating heat and temperature is much more difficult in a charcoal grill than a gas grill. Therefore, you are left with a higher risk of creating HCAs in the food. Thus, if it comes to temperature regulation, gas grills are preferred.

Gas grills are significantly healthier as your food does not absorb any known chemicals as of equivalent risk of HCAs. Temperature regulation on gas grills helps you to get rid of the danger. The gas grill still gives you the same benefits if it comes to leaving less fat on the cooked food. However, you are less likely to experience any physical risk and have much lesser health risks while using a gas grill.

Benefits of using a gas grill

You all indeed love the advantage of turning a handle and clicking a button to get your job done? Gas grills are very much convenient for use. You get them moving and have knobs that can adjust the heat level. Gas grills are usually available in bigger sizes with several racks that offer you more room for cooking.

The natural smoke is still produced in the meat while sizzling on the grill. As a result, favor is enhanced in comparison to the cooking in a skillet or pan. Gas grills are typically preferred when it comes to temperature regulation and overall cooking efficiency. Plus, it is much less time consuming to clean up a gas grill, and you are less likely to burn your neighborhood down.

Tips to Minimize Grilling Risks

You are exposed to many risks while grilling; here are a few tips to minimize those:

Health risks:

• Marinate your meat for at least 30-40 minutes to reduce the production of HCAs and PAHs.
• Keep the meats and vegetables refrigerated to lessen the growth of bacteria.
• Adding lots of vegetables reduces the risk of cancer while grilling.
• Beware of not exposing your meat to high temperature, and you know the reason as we mentioned it earlier.
• Always flip the meat as it grills; it prevents the formation of HCAs.

Other risks:

• Many people end up in the hospital just because of swallowing metal brush bristles. Yes, you need to be aware of the brush you use while grilling and also the bristles.

• As well as being careful about fire, you need to be cautious about the smoke produced while grilling. Because they are not just the food debris, things like carbon monoxide and cancer-causing PAHs are also there. So, you better don’t inhale that much.
• No matter how experienced you are at grilling, you should always check out the requirements while dealing with a new grill as each grill has a different set of rules.
• Now, you have to keep the grill far from any flammable object. See a manual if you are not sure about enough distance.

Frequently asked questions

Final thought

Now you know the answer to the question is gas grilling healthy? If you are the type of person who likes barbecue with your grills this summer, you can consider having a closed flame gas grill because it is an overall superior tool, especially regarding your health. There are also some other gas grill options that you can also consider that will allow you to switch between natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas.